Nicole Bokat

My latest novel, WILL END IN FIRE, is my second domestic thriller, following 2021's THE HAPPINESS THIEF. Both have been well received, with this advance praise for WILL END IN FIRE from Kirkus Reviews:

"Bokat reveals the solution to the mystery bit by bit, like a jigsaw puzzle, leaving the full picture obscured until the final piece is finally in place....A tumultuous narrative that will confound readers' expectations and keep them guessing." Their verdict: Get it.

I have always been an avid reader of fiction and started dabbling in writing my own when I was ten years old and finished my first “novel” in sleepaway camp.

My love of writing — smart, engaging writing — became my life's work, both as an academic and as a novelist. I received a Ph. D in Modern British Literature from NYU and have enjoyed teaching writing there, as well as at other New York City universities and institutions. But my true passion is storytelling; creating narratives which feature finely developed characters and compelling plots.

In my latest novel, WILL END IN FIRE, Ellie Stone, a 27-year-old journalist focusing on climate science, is staying with her 24-year-old brother, Josh, so their parents can have an anniversary getaway. Josh is an addict, a former D1 soccer star whose post-college life has unraveled, but he’s also still, somehow, the golden boy. Ellie’s resentment at being overlooked by her parents took root in childhood, so when she and Josh argue during her stay, she decides that she’s finally had enough.

In her hurry to get back to Manhattan from New Jersey, Ellie realizes she forgot her laptop and turns around, arriving back to discover the home ablaze.

Though alive when rescued by firefighters, Josh is severely burned and fragile. Ellie is heartsick. But then she also begins to fret: was it her fault? Did she forget to snuff out her cigarette? It’s the second time she’s been involved in a devastating fire—another holdover from childhood—and she feels guilt-ridden and overwhelmed. Plus, social media turns ugly, reacting as fast as the flames that devoured her family home.

In the aftermath, Ellie leans on Josh’s best friend, Drew, and Josh’s girlfriend, Audrey. But as time passes, she realizes Audrey and Josh didn’t have the rosy relationship she thought they did. The police are asking questions. Suddenly, Ellie is too.

The goal of this thriller was to create tension and doubt about every character, every cause, every effect behind every event. There's disloyalty, sibling rivalry, and love gone wrong, where suspicions abound and the tension ratchets up, right until the chilling conclusion.

I think there is much to discuss that both David and his listeners will find engaging: my novel, of course, but also how its development, and my future projects, reflect and respond to the current literary marketplace. Other topics that might be of interest to listeners include: how my background informs my writing process; whether it is possible for an author to strike a satisfying balance between individual voice and the expectations of thriller readers; how the state of publishing in today's market determines the breath and value of what's marketed to readers.

I so hope to have those conversations. Thanks!
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Here's my official CV: Nicole Bokat has published three novels: Redeeming Eve (2000), What Matters Most (2006), and The Happiness Thief (2021). Redeeming Eve was nominated for both the Hemingway Foundation/PEN award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction. Bokat is also the author of a book on novelist Margaret Drabble and has written essays for several publications, including The New York Times, Parents, and The Forward. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband and dog, Ruby, and has two adult sons.